BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 METHOD:PUBLISH PRODID:-//Telerik Inc.//Sitefinity CMS 15.2//EN BEGIN:VEVENT DESCRIPTION:Event highlightsAs part of the ongoing European Union-funded pr oject to enhance national capacities against COVID-19 and other public hea lth emergencies\, the WHO Country Office in Tü\;rkiye and \; the M inistry of Health of Tü\;rkiye continue to deliver specialized trainin gs across earthquake-affected provinces. The HIV Laboratory Training held in Adana on 16&ndash\;18 February 2026 is one of several initiatives desig ned to reinforce laboratory preparedness and response capacity nationwide. More than 45 health-care professionals from public health directorates acr oss Tü\;rkiye participated in the 3-day training\, with strong represe ntation from the 11 provinces affected by the February 2023 earthquakes. T he training focused on improving early HIV diagnosis\, enhancing verificat ion processes and supporting effective surveillance within the public heal th system.Importance of resilient laboratory systems in public health prep arednessIn the aftermath of the 2023 earthquakes\, maintaining uninterrupt ed access to essential health services has remained a national priority. I ncreased mobility underscored the importance of reliable surveillance mech anisms and high-quality laboratory services for infectious diseases\, incl uding HIV.Accurate and timely laboratory diagnosis is central to effective disease control. By enhancing molecular detection skills and promoting st andardized testing procedures\, the training contributes to improved case identification\, better data quality and more robust national reporting sy stems.&ldquo\;Effective preparedness depends on strong partnerships\,&rdqu o\; said Ekrem Sağtaş\, Head of the Department of Microbiology Reference L aboratories and Biological Products at the General Directorate of Public H ealth. &ldquo\;Throughout this training\, continuous consultation\, knowle dge sharing and collaboration between institutions reinforced not only lab oratory skills\, but also the collective capacity of the health system acr oss Tü\;rkiye.&rdquo\; &ldquo\;This initiative reflects our shared com mitment to building resilient health systems that can withstand shocks and continue to deliver essential services\,&rdquo\; said Altin Malaj\, Proje ct Coordinator at the WHO Country Office in Tü\;rkiye. &ldquo\;Through sustained collaboration with the Ministry of Health and the support of th e European Union\, we are enhancing laboratory capacities that are critica l not only for HIV response\, but also for broader public health preparedn ess. Strong diagnostic systems are fundamental to protecting communities a nd ensuring equitable access to care.&rdquo\;Translating technical knowled ge into practical applicationsThroughout the training\, participants engag ed in technical sessions covering early HIV diagnosis\, standardized labor atory algorithms\, biosafety\, quality assurance and data confidentiality. Group discussions encouraged peer exchange on maintaining high testing st andards and ensuring accurate linkage between laboratory confirmation and surveillance systems.After 2 days of training\, the participants conducted a visit to the Adana Public Health Laboratory\, which enabled them to obs erve routine workflows and apply key molecular techniques under expert sup ervision\, and ultimately to translate theoretical knowledge into hands-on experience.&ldquo\;This training allowed us to refresh our theoretical kn owledge\, while also strengthening collaboration among partner institution s\,&rdquo\; noted Dr Zeynep Pınar Taşkan\, infectious disease and clinical microbiology specialist from the İzmir Public Health Laboratory. &ldquo\; We deepened our understanding of HIV drug resistance\, next-generation seq uencing technologies and evolving diagnostic approaches. Most importantly\ , we enhanced our ability to respond quickly and reliably in our daily lab oratory practice\,&rdquo\; she noted. \;&ldquo\;This training has been both highly useful and effective\,&rdquo\; said one of the trainers\, Dr Dilara Yıldıran\, medical microbiology specialist from the National HIV-AI DS and Viral Hepatitis Reference Laboratories of Turkey in Ankara. &ldquo\ ;Early detection and accurate diagnosis are essential in the fight against HIV. In line with our national control programme targets\, our objective was to ensure standardization in HIV diagnosis\, confirmation\, drug resis tance analysis and testing procedures across the country. Through close co llaboration with our partners\, we have made significant progress with thi s training and will continue working together to sustain these achievement s.&rdquo\; \;Building long-term health system resilienceThe training w as organized in collaboration with the Ministry of Health&rsquo\;s General Directorate of Public Health and the WHO Country Office in Tü\;rkiye under the European Union-funded project on &ldquo\;Strengthening national capacities against COVID-19 and other public health emergencies&rdquo\;. T he project\, implemented by the Tü\;rkiye&rsquo\;s Ministry of Health with support from WHO\, aims to enhance preparedness for public health eme rgencies\, reinforce technical competencies and improve coordination acros s provinces.By investing in the professional development of health-care wo rkers\, particularly in earthquake-affected regions\, the initiative contr ibutes to greater national capacity to prevent\, detect and manage infecti ous diseases. Improved HIV surveillance and diagnostic capabilities enhanc e routine service delivery while supporting readiness for future public he alth emergencies.To date\, as part of the project\, several specialized tr ainings have been held across earthquake-affected provinces\, including se ssions on surveillance systems\, laboratory quality management\, monitorin g of utilization and additional needs in 11 public health laboratories in these regions. \;Through sustained collaboration and targeted capacity development\, the Ministry of Health and the WHO Country Office in Tü \;rkiye continue to work towards a more responsive\, equitable and resilie nt health system for communities across Tü\;rkiye. DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260219 DTSTAMP:20260406T234902Z DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260216 LOCATION:Türkiye\,Adana SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:From theory to practice: how laboratory professionals are strengthe ning HIV diagnostics in earthquake-affected provinces UID:RFCALITEM639111161428455300 X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:

Event highlights

As part of the ongoing European Union-funded project to enhance national capacities again st COVID-19 and other public health emergencies\, the WHO Country Office i n Tü\;rkiye and \; the Ministry of Health of Tü\;rkiye continu e to deliver specialized trainings across earthquake-affected provinces. T he HIV Laboratory Training held in Adana on 16&ndash\;18 February 2026 is one of several initiatives designed to reinforce laboratory preparedness a nd response capacity nationwide.

More than 45 health-care profession als from public health directorates across Tü\;rkiye participated in t he 3-day training\, with strong representation from the 11 provinces affec ted by the February 2023 earthquakes. The training focused on improving ea rly HIV diagnosis\, enhancing verification processes and supporting effect ive surveillance within the public health system.

Importance of res ilient laboratory systems in public health preparedness

In the afte rmath of the 2023 earthquakes\, maintaining uninterrupted access to essent ial health services has remained a national priority. Increased mobility u nderscored the importance of reliable surveillance mechanisms and high-qua lity laboratory services for infectious diseases\, including HIV.

Ac curate and timely laboratory diagnosis is central to effective disease con trol. By enhancing molecular detection skills and promoting standardized t esting procedures\, the training contributes to improved case identificati on\, better data quality and more robust national reporting systems.

&ldquo\;Effective preparedness depends on strong partnerships\,&rdquo\; s aid Ekrem Sağtaş\, Head of the Department of Microbiology Reference Labora tories and Biological Products at the General Directorate of Public Health . &ldquo\;Throughout this training\, continuous consultation\, knowledge s haring and collaboration between institutions reinforced not only laborato ry skills\, but also the collective capacity of the health system across T ü\;rkiye.&rdquo\;

&ldquo\;This initiative reflects our shared comm itment to building resilient health systems that can withstand shocks and continue to deliver essential services\,&rdquo\; said Altin Malaj\, Projec t Coordinator at the WHO Country Office in Tü\;rkiye. &ldquo\;Through sustained collaboration with the Ministry of Health and the support of the European Union\, we are enhancing laboratory capacities that are critical not only for HIV response\, but also for broader public health preparedne ss. Strong diagnostic systems are fundamental to protecting communities an d ensuring equitable access to care.&rdquo\;

Translating technical know ledge into practical applications

Throughout the training\, partici pants engaged in technical sessions covering early HIV diagnosis\, standar dized laboratory algorithms\, biosafety\, quality assurance and data confi dentiality. Group discussions encouraged peer exchange on maintaining high testing standards and ensuring accurate linkage between laboratory confir mation and surveillance systems.

After 2 days of training\, the part icipants conducted a visit to the Adana Public Health Laboratory\, which e nabled them to observe routine workflows and apply key molecular technique s under expert supervision\, and ultimately to translate theoretical knowl edge into hands-on experience.

&ldquo\;This training allowed us to r efresh our theoretical knowledge\, while also strengthening collaboration among partner institutions\,&rdquo\; noted Dr Zeynep Pınar Taşkan\, infect ious disease and clinical microbiology specialist from the İzmir Public He alth Laboratory. &ldquo\;We deepened our understanding of HIV drug resista nce\, next-generation sequencing technologies and evolving diagnostic appr oaches. Most importantly\, we enhanced our ability to respond quickly and reliably in our daily laboratory practice\,&rdquo\; she noted. \;

< p>&ldquo\;This training has been both highly useful and effective\,&rdquo\ ; said one of the trainers\, Dr Dilara Yıldıran\, medical microbiology spe cialist from the National HIV-AIDS and Viral Hepatitis Reference Laborator ies of Turkey in Ankara. &ldquo\;Early detection and accurate diagnosis ar e essential in the fight against HIV. In line with our national control pr ogramme targets\, our objective was to ensure standardization in HIV diagn osis\, confirmation\, drug resistance analysis and testing procedures acro ss the country. Through close collaboration with our partners\, we have ma de significant progress with this training and will continue working toget her to sustain these achievements.&rdquo\; \;

Building long-ter m health system resilience

The training was organized in collaborat ion with the Ministry of Health&rsquo\;s General Directorate of Public Hea lth and the WHO Country Office in Tü\;rkiye under the European Union-f unded project on &ldquo\;Strengthening national capacities against COVID-1 9 and other public health emergencies&rdquo\;. The project\, implemented b y the Tü\;rkiye&rsquo\;s Ministry of Health with support from WHO\, ai ms to enhance preparedness for public health emergencies\, reinforce techn ical competencies and improve coordination across provinces.

By inve sting in the professional development of health-care workers\, particularl y in earthquake-affected regions\, the initiative contributes to greater n ational capacity to prevent\, detect and manage infectious diseases. Impro ved HIV surveillance and diagnostic capabilities enhance routine service d elivery while supporting readiness for future public health emergencies.

To date\, as part of the project\, several specialized trainings have been held across earthquake-affected provinces\, including sessions on su rveillance systems\, laboratory quality management\, monitoring of utiliza tion and additional needs in 11 public health laboratories in these region s. \;

Through sustained collaboration and targeted capacity deve lopment\, the Ministry of Health and the WHO Country Office in Tü\;rki ye continue to work towards a more responsive\, equitable and resilient he alth system for communities across Tü\;rkiye.

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